The watchmaker’s partnerships in support of contemporary art and artists include sponsorship of the Palais de Tokyo in Paris; collaborations with choreographer Benjamin Millepied, composer Thomas Roussel, and street artist Kongo and acquisition of Éditions Cercle d’Art, a publishing house created with the support of Pablo Picasso in the 1950s.
 

“Desert X’s literal removal of any walls that may have restricted today’s contemporary artists aligns with Richard Mille’s commitment to take the art and craft of fine watchmaking into a new realm,” said John Simonian, CEO, Richard Mille Americas. “Where our timepieces are tiny universes compared to the site-specific art installations coming to the Coachella Valley, we are all striving in our respective formats to challenge conventions, celebrate cultures, and foster dialogue about larger concepts, including the nature of time itself. We anticipate the people who attend Desert X, over the course of two months and the expanse of many miles, will step outside the familiar and interact in a meaningful way with this remarkable time and place.”
 

Curated by Artistic Director Neville Wakefield and Co-curator César García-Alvarez, this third biennial edition of Desert X will explore the desert as both a place and idea, acknowledging the realities of people who reside here and the political, social, and cultural contexts that shape their stories. Newly commissioned projects by thirteen artists, from eight countries, will take shape on the land, from March 12 through May 16, 2021. A robust series of public and educational programs will accompany the artists’ projects and help broaden the exhibition’s reach to international audiences. A Desert X 2021 film, produced by Desert X and Richard Mille, will premiere globally across multiple platforms.
 

Desert X 2021, Presented by Richard Mille, Participating Artists:

- Zahrah Alghamdi (born 1977, Al Bahah, Saudi Arabia, based in Jeddah)
- Ghada Amer (born 1963, Cairo, Egypt, based in New York)
- Felipe Baeza (born 1987, Guanajuato, Mexico, based in Los Angeles)
- Judy Chicago (born 1939, Chicago, US. based in Belen, New Mexico)
- Serge Attukwei Clottey (born 1985, Accra, Ghana, based in Accra)
- Nicholas Galanin (born 1979, Sitka, Alaska, US, based in Sitka)
- Alicja Kwade (born 1979, Katowice, Poland, based in Berlin)
- Oscar Murillo (born 1986, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, based in various locations)
- Christopher Myers (born 1974, New York, US, based in New York)
- Eduardo Sarabia (born 1976, Los Angeles, US, based in Guadalajara, Mexico)
- Xaviera Simmons (born 1974, New York, US based in New York)
- Kim Stringfellow (born 1963, San Mateo, CA, US, based in Joshua Tree)
- Vivian Suter (born 1949, Buenos Aires, Argentina, based in Panajachel, Guatemala)

The Desert X map of artist installations can be found online at desertx.org and via the Desert X 2021 app, starting March 12th.
 

About Desert X

Desert X is produced by The Desert Biennial, a 501(c)3 charitable organization, conceived to produce recurring international contemporary art exhibitions that activate desert locations through site- specific installations by acclaimed international artists. Its guiding principles include presenting public exhibitions of art that respond meaningfully to the conditions of desert locations, the environment and the indigenous communities; promoting cultural exchanges and education programs that foster dialogue and understanding among cultures and communities about shared artistic, historical, and societal issues; and providing an accessible platform for artists from around the world to address ecological, cultural, spiritual and other existential themes. Founded on the principles of the Land Art movement of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, when artists sought to create work outside of the confines of institutional walls, Desert X has, since its inception in 2017, explored new configurations of site- responsive work by artists from around the world, creating a new paradigm for the presentation and experience of art, that is both unrivalled and accessible to all.